Travis’s eyes bounce between us for only a moment and then he’s putting his hands on his sister’s shoulders. “Okay, you two, I hate to break this up but…” He inclines his head toward the tunnel and looks at me. “You need to get changed and do your press thing. There’s some media waiting to talk to you and Coach about your return.”
Sighing, I take off my other glove and lean down to kiss Riley on the cheek. It’s chaste compared to what I’d like to do right now, but I’ll keep that close to my vest for the moment.
She’s here. For me. And I can’t stop repeating it.
Standing up, I turn to Travis. “Can you guys meet me after?”
“I can’t,” Travis says, “But I’m going to drop Riley off at her hotel.” He grins at both of us. “I give you permission to hang out in the lobby.”
“Perfect,” I say, chuckling. Threading my fingers through hers, I get the feeling that someone’s watching us. I know that sounds ridiculous in a crowd of this size, but it’s the intense feeling like someone iswatchingyou. I let my eyes drift around the rink until they land across the ice on one sole person whose eyes are definitely watching our every move.
Hello, Todd. I see you.
Glancing back at Riley, I lean down and pull her into my body, her face breaking into a huge smile as I do, her armsthreading around my neck as she stands on her tiptoes. “You’re very tall in your skates.”
“I can still do this,” I growl, pressing my lips on hers as she responds in kind, a small groan escaping as my lips slant across her mouth. Her fingers tug at my hair as she slowly peels herself away, laughing.
“Jake, there’s so many people around.” She giggles.
“And I want themallto know that you’re mine,” I murmur, my lips close to her ear as I kiss the side of her face. A ripple of goosebumps appears on the side of her neck, and I know I’ve hit my target. I make sure to plant one last kiss right on the vulnerable flesh at the back of her neck before I start to walk away. “I’ll see you soon.”
It’s after ten when I finally get a chance to leave the arena. As the automatic doors slide open to the hotel lobby, I swivel my head, looking around for her.
I don’t have to look too hard. She’s planted herself in a wingback chair by the fireplace, still wearing the jersey, and it’s awesome.
I make my way over, fighting my own smile but loving the sexy one that’s draped across her lips.
“You’re good on the ice,” she says, playfully waving the note I wrote her in the air, “but no one would ever know that this note was from you if you hadn’t signed it.”
There’s another wingback chair in the vicinity. I slide it over so I’m facing her. “It’s not like I wrote a novel.”
“I highlighted some of my favorite parts,” she says, unfolding it and showing it to me. Sure enough, she’s used a yellowhighlighter and, be still my heart, it appears that it did the trick. She flicks it in the air. “Shall I?”
“Please,” I say with a wave of my hand as I sit back in the chair and wait for the show.
Riley clears her throat. “Riley, I wish I could say that I have all the answers, that I know what’s going to happen next, but clearly, if you look at my history…I don’t. And I’m glad for that because I would have been prepared to meet you, and you’re the sweetest surprise I’ve had in a long time.”
She stops, glancing up at me and winking before she looks back at the paper. “I know your past now, at least enough that I don’t want to spook you, but I know me enough that now I know there is a you in the world, I need more. I’m committed to making us work, no matter where life takes us. I know it’s scary, trust me it freaks me out, too, but I believe that facing this life together will only make us stronger.”
“I mean every word,” I whisper, leaning forward to take her free hand. I pull it to my lips and kiss it. “And I know what comes next. ‘I can’t promise you a future without challenges, but I can promise you that if you accept this, and me, I will always be by your side, cheering you on, supporting you, and giving you all that I am.’”
Her eyes lock onto mine as she places the note on the table beside the chair. Her hand covers mine and we sit like this for a few minutes, lost in each other’s eyes and in total silence. For the first time in a long time, I feel seen.
Her eyes rock over to where the note sits, then back to mine. “You mean every word of that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” I say, leaning closer to her, my hands resting on her thighs to balance myself. “Look, you being here is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but it’s the fact that you showed up for me when I really needed you to be here that’s hitting home.”
“Well, I loved watching you tonight,” she says, a glint in her eye. “You were incredible! The fact it came down to a shootout was nuts. I couldn’t stop screaming.”
“Really?” Tugging on her hands, I pull her up from her seat and over so she’s sitting on my lap. I let my fingers toy with loose strands of hair, flipping them on my fingertips. “Tell me more.”
She throws her head back and laughs, and I’m hit with that heady scent of gardenia and lilies again. I could smell that delicious scent forever, as long as it’s attached to her.
“Should I wax poetic about the amazing move when you set up a dump and chase for the biscuit?”
“You have no idea what your words do to a man,” I growl, my fingers pressing into her thigh as I trace a line down her jaw, stopping when my fingertips reach her lips. “I didn’t know you knew so much about hockey.”
“I don’t.” She grins. “I was listening to the guys around me. You can learn a lot when you just listen.”
